Boston Shamrocks U19 Women: Start of a brand new day

It was a little easier for Boston Shamrocks Director of Hockey Operations Sean Fisher to enjoy the Fourth of July holiday.

By Joshua Boyd

“We only have one or two last roster spots to fill. Our Under-19 team is almost done and the U-16 team is almost done,” said Fisher, just prior to the holiday.

The amazing thing about this feat is that the Shamrocks had, as of the end of June, not a single returning U-19 player under contract or giving a verbal commitment to come back.

You read that right – the 2017-18 top Shamrocks team will be new from top to bottom.

“We are excited about the former U16’s that have moved up to the U19 team. The fact they are ready to make a significant contribution is a full credit to the coaching team of Molly Corl and Abby Gauthier at the U16 level the last couple years,” said Fisher. “We will also bring in a number of Canadian players to round out the U19 roster. We’ll have pretty dynamic players at every position.”

Julia Masotta is one player that Fisher can’t wait to see in a JWHL game (as Fisher was new to the program this past spring).

“She is 5-feet-1-inch, and she plays like she’s 6-1. She skates well, competes, and she knows how to score goals,” said Fisher. “I’m really excited about having her on the U19 team.”

Joining the defense as a new player from Kenora, Ont., is Taylor Tom. She is a three-year veteran of the JWHL coming over from the Balmoral Hall Blazers.

“We’re really excited about her. She is pretty skilled, she has great hands, she makes a quality first pass and retrieves pucks well,” said Fisher.

“She will be an important cornerstone in the back.”

Fisher also expects that the Shamrocks’ goaltending will be very strong, but had not received signed contracts as of late June and thus could not yet provide names of the 2017-18 goaltenders.

Fisher said that, while he can’t comment on the 2016-17 Shamrocks U19 team as he didn’t see much more than game film, his 2017-18 top team will be a tough team to play against.

“Teams that play my style and the way I learned the game will check, they’ll compete, they’ll be structured,” said Fisher. “There will be a lot of both fundamentals and creativity in practice, but it’ll be a hard team to play against. There’ll be a lot of tight-checking, low-scoring games. However, the players who play within this strategy will see a lot of success.”

To learn more about the Boston Shamrocks women’s hockey organization, contact Sean Fisher at sfisher@bostonshamrocks.net or call 978-729-7863.